Weekly We Make: Looking Within

About the Artist 

Ruth is of both Plains Cree and Scottish descent. She was born in 1945 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Her family moved to Cardston, Alberta, near the Blood (Kainai) Reserve for her father’s work. Ruth is a member of the Little Pine First Nation, and currently lives in Saskatoon. 

Many of Ruth’s artworks use memories, personal experiences, and cultural stories as starting points. In the Brain Scan Series, her family’s experiences with mental health conditions were her starting point. 

While Ruth works in many different art mediums, much of her recent art has been beading. Using beads connects her work to Indigenous art forms and knowledge. Beaded artworks also tell a story of how Indigenous cultures adapt. Originally, Plains Cree peoples would have used materials such as porcupine quills to create decorative artworks. When Europeans began to trade glass beads with Indigenous peoples, those Indigenous nations adapted their art styles to this new medium. Ruth wants us to remember that Indigenous cultures are alive, growing, and changing. 

Many of Ruth’s artworks, such as the Brain Scan series are about current issues affecting Indigenous people. The beauty of her artworks creates a bridge for people to connect with overlooked problems. 

If Ruth Cuthand has beads in her blood, what makes up your body? What connects you to your culture, community, friends, and family? What is inside you that people cannot see? Create an artwork that shows how your body connects to your community. We will be using Perler beads and turning our projects into magnets. 

Instructions 

Step 1

Spend some time thinking about these questions: 

• What connects you to your culture, community, friends, and family?
• What is inside you that people cannot see?

Step 2

Pick a template to work on, such as a heart, brain, hand, or body shape. Place it under a clear pegboard, lining the pegs up with the circles. 

Step 3

Make a design using Perler beads to show your cultural connections and what might not be visible to others when they meet you. Place each Perler bead on your pegboard to create this design. If you find it hard to place the beads, you can use tweezers to add them to your pegboard. 

Step 4

Optional step for tape fusing method: The tape method can stop you from melting your pegboard, and sometimes makes a cleaner-looking project. Carefully cover the back of your Perler bead design in masking tape, overlapping the strips. Press the tape down well. Place a piece of cardboard over your design and flip it over so that the taped side is down. Remove the pegboard and continue with the next fusing steps. 

Step 5

Place an ironing paper or parchment paper over your artwork. Take it to the Gallery Facilitator (or another adult if you are doing this project at home) to be ironed. 

Step 6

Ironing steps for Gallery Facilitator or another adult:  

• Heat the iron to medium with no steam. 
• Iron the back of the beads with a gentle circular motion for 10-20 seconds. Don’t push down with the iron. You should still have an open space in the middle of the beads. 
• Flip the artwork over using a piece of cardboard. Remove the pegboard if it hasn’t been removed yet. Place an ironing paper/parchment paper over this new side. 
• Repeat the ironing process on this second side. 

Step 7

Let your artwork cool completely before removing the parchment paper (and tape if you used it). You may want to place a book on top to keep it flat as it cools. This is a great time to visit the exhibition Beads in the Blood: A Ruth Cuthand Retrospective. 

Step 8

Stick a magnet onto the back of your artwork.